Snow Kissed
by iAir Nomad
Summary: It's been three years. Chihiro escapes her home one cold, snowy night after an argument with her parents. At first, she's crying hysterically, not knowing what to do - but a certain dragon boy finally appears to her once more and makes it all better.


**Edited just a tiiiiiny bit =) I am soooo so sorry folks, even after all this time, I'm still trying to figure out how to work fanfiction. Haha! I accidently deleted the original story. ^_^; Anyways, it's reuploaded. Again, I'm sorry!**

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><p>She sniffled, attempting to rub away the merciless tears prickling at her eyes. Chihiro wandered the bustling town, hunched, hopeless, pitifully. The now thirteen-year-old brunette had just finished another of countless fights with her parents. This wasn't what she wanted, three years ago. She didn't save her parents from the firm clutches of the Gods in the spirit world for nothing—no, not for this. When she envisioned being reunited with her parents and starting a new life in this small town, <em>this wasn't it.<em>

The brunette tightened the red scarf around her neck more securely and shoved her freezing hands in the pockets of her heavy black winter coat, eyeing the snow patches tucked in particular corners of the sidewalks and streets, wondering if the clouds planned to drop more snow. The fact that she was wandering completely aimlessly, alone, at ten-'O-clock at night surely would have gave her parents a heart attack. But that concern was tucked carefully in the back of her mind, barely even a whisper amongst the rest of the chaotic thoughts and feelings she felt. She had left in a hurry, grabbing the nearest coat, scarf, and boots and going out the door without waiting another moment for her parents to question where she was going. But gloves – how could she be stupid enough to forget gloves?

Chihiro was forced to brave the cold, but she knew one thing for sure – she couldn't go back home, not tonight, anyway. And she wanted to find a place no one else would be at this time of night. Somewhere she could be alone, to think.

"The park!" She exclaimed to herself at the sudden realization. This brought a lot of attention from people walking past her with quizzical looks, but she hardly cared. She picked up her pace to the central park. Surely there would be a nice tree to curl up under for a while there?

Fast walking turned to jogging, which turned to sprinting. As predicted, little snowflakes began to slowly make their way down to Earth. But for Chihiro, at her speed, they were whipping wildly at any exposed skin – her hands, her face… almost as if to punish her for running away from home and her problems. She soon became numb, but this only increased her desire to reach the park faster. Hot, angry, sad tears tried creeping back to her eyes as she mentally recalled one hurtful exchange of words from her dad: "_We didn't raise our daughter to become worthless!_" She shut her eyes tight momentarily, holding in her composure for just a while longer.

After many cases of running a stop sign, running into people at unexpected turns and almost getting run over by a city bus, Chihiro reached the park. As expected, little to no people were there. The grass was blanketed with icy snow and wet – no one would want to stay here. In general, though, this part of town had always been quiet at night; it was pleasant. The snow gently landing on Chihiro's head or seeping into the fabric of her clothes added to the comforting stillness and silence.

A decent sized tree caught the attention of the girl. She slowly made her way over the field of snow and to the tall Evergreen. It's long pine needles as it shaded her from the falling snow seemed inviting. As soon as she touched it, though, it came back to her:

"_We didn't raise our daughter to become worthless!_"

"_I AM NOT WORTHLESS!" Chihiro screamed quickly in reply. That was it. She let out a cry, stomping to the front door, grabbing layers of clothing from the closet in an instant. She was out before you could count to five. _

Chihiro slumped to the ground, the snow crunching beneath her. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, her face looking almost distorted with how hard she tried to hold in her sobbing. Her arms and hands slipped down to the snow, then her head, almost in a bowing position. And there, she cried. A painful-sounding wail escaped her lips, of which she had been trying all that time to keep in.

"I am… n-not worthless…" she whispered, and harder crying following. She thought of Haku, then: He wouldn't think her worthless. He never thought that, did he? Did he?

The falling snowflakes tried to comfort her as they caressed her face and landed so delicately in her ponytail. Her cries soon hushed to quiet sobs as she buried her numb face, hot with tears, into the cold snow.

"Miss, are you alright?" A kind voice said, offering solace in his tone.

Chihiro sniffled once more, and straightened herself into a seated position. She reached up an arm to her eyes and brushed away the tears with a swift movement of her jacket.

"Y-yes, I'm fine…" she choked. Another sniffle.

Obviously the boy wasn't convinced, because he stayed put right where he was. "You shouldn't be out here alone, you know," a worrisome tone made its way into his voice. Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows a little. The more he spoke, the more familiar his voice was sounding…

She finally turned her head to look at him. The sight of her face made the boy intake a sharp breath. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were flushed from the mixture of hot tears and cold air. _She's a wreck… _He thought to himself sorrowfully. _She looks so much like…_

The boy shook his head and extended a hand to her. "C'mon. I'll take you home."

"NO!" Chihiro exclaimed suddenly, causing his hand to quickly withdraw, perplex written all over his face.

"No?" He took a step forward and crouched down next to her feverish-looking body.

"No," her eyes became watery again, looking downcast with a hint of embarrassment. She brought up her knees and buried her face in them. Her voice was muffled as she repeated "no", so weakly and desperate.

He didn't want to pry further into the subject. He pursed his lips, staring intently at the snow for a moment, thinking deeply. He raised his head suddenly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go to a café, at least. You need to warm up."

Chihiro raised her tearful face to look at him again. He looked no older than fifteen, and had such bright, green eyes… a gentle smile… perfectly cut hair just above his shoulders… the only thing that was different was his clothing, a heavy green jacket to keep him warm, and white jeans. She could spot a light green turtleneck under all the layers.

She furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes at him. "Haku…?"

He blinked, taken aback. "Y-yeah… that's my name… how do you know…?"

"HAKU!" Chihiro jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into his torso. They fell back into the snow together. Tears escaped Chihiro's eyes again, but this time, out of pure happiness.

Haku looked a little worried, gingerly taking her shoulders in his hands. "S-sorry, but… who are…?"

"Haku, don't you remember me? Don't you remember the spirit world, Rin, Kamaji, Yubaba… me? Remember, Haku, remember?" Chihiro cried, looking desperately at his face. "Please, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, remember me!" She shut her eyes tight – it was unbearable to see the loss of recognition in his face.

As soon as her eyes shut, however, Haku's eyes widened with realization as he stared back at her just as intently. He gripped her shoulders. "Chihiro?"

She opened her eyes, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. She looked up hopefully at Haku, smiling instantly. "YES! Yes, yes…" Chihiro sobbed joyfully, nuzzling her face against his chest once more.

"Oh, Chihiro…" Haku moved his hands from her shoulders to her back, hugging her tight. "I can't believe it! You…"

"Haku, Haku… I missed you so, so _so_ much…" She whispered tearfully, hugging him back with as much longing.

Wanting so much to bring her closer, Haku moved his arms up and held her head against him, pressing his face into her hair. The snowflakes danced around them, some melting on their flushed, happy faces. Haku grinned delightfully for this entire unexpected encounter. With so much gratitude to whoever was in charge of fate, he kissed Chihiro's head, as if to prove his point that he couldn't ask for more than this.

"I'm so grateful…" Chihiro murmured, muffled – her three words that reminded them both of their freefall when Haku regained his true name. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead this time, and held this girl he adored so much, tighter. It wasn't long before even he, too, felt little streams of tears rolling down his cheeks.

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><p>A lot of time had passed before the two finally parted. Haku held her hands in his, connecting their foreheads.<p>

"I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I had important business to attend to, a few things Yubaba wanted to have done before I could officially leave her. I had no choice but to delay returning to you," he said sadly.

"Sorry?" Chihiro shook her head, smiling. "I thought I wouldn't ever even see you again. If I did, I expected it would take so much more time than just a few years. It wasn't so bad, really," she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug again. "Thank you for keeping your promise, Haku…"

She felt him smile over her shoulder as he returned the hug. "A dragon always keeps its promises. That I can assure you, Chihiro."

They pulled away, gazing deeply at one another, a comforting silence taken over. Chihiro's brown eyes sparkled radiantly, with more happiness than she could express to have her friend back. He meant so much to her…

"Well now, your parents must be extremely worried. You should get home. I have to head somewhere, but I promise I will see you again. Soon," he smiled. "Very soon."

Chihiro closed her eyes for a moment, looking towards the ground, thinking about it. Then she looked back up at Haku with a small smile. She nodded. "Okay."

They stood up. Chihiro looked up towards the sky, watching the snow falling, so deliberately, so delicately wherever it touched. Haku followed her gaze for a moment, watching with her, both seemingly entranced by it.

Chihiro closed her eyes peacefully, accepting it's landing on her face. "I wonder what the snow looks like in the spirit world."

"It's beautiful. There's not a single dirty spot on it when it piles up on the ground. And as it falls, it is just like this. Slow, gentle, silent," he responded. Chihiro smiled, imagining it, sparkling against the moonlight.

"Chihiro?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm a fool for not doing this during our freefall three years ago."

"For not doing what?"

She felt two soft hands cup her cheeks, lowering her face to look directly towards his. She was about to open her eyes, but Haku stopped her. "Keep your eyes closed," he whispered, his breath warm on her skin.

She blushed, beginning to realize where he was going. But before she could think anything else, a pair of lips—_his _lips—touched hers. Deliberate, gentle, soft, warm, and loving. Flattered and more than happy to go beyond friendship, she returned his kiss, and suddenly everything seemed all right in the world. Her heart was touched—her first kiss, and it was more beautiful than she would have ever imagined, because it was with _him_.

They parted, though unwillingly. The couple smiled at each other, no words said to express their gratitude.

"How… how was it?" Haku asked shyly, ducking his face a little. Chihiro could tell instantly it was his first kiss as well.

"Really wonderful… and so warm…" Chihiro glanced down shyly, also. "Thank you, Haku," she added softly.

He only smiled in response to this. "Can you find your way home?" He asked, the pair overcoming their shyness and looking at each other. A concerned expression silently asked permission for her to tell him what had happened.

She nodded. "Mhm. I just had a little not-so-good moment with my parents, but I'll be fine."

He smiled a little again, and nodded.

"I'll… see you soon then, right?"

"I told you, a dragon always keeps his promises," he smirked. "Very soon," he added, satisfying her.

She smiled, and the hand he held tightened his for a brief moment then slipped out of his grasp. His fingers lingered in the air where her hand was just a moment ago, still holding onto the little presence that she had left behind. His gaze followed as she ran from him back into the more bustling town, disappearing behind cars and people. He then looked back up towards the heavens, and a little snowflake landed on his lips. He brought up a finger and wiped if off ever so gently and onto his fingertip. He observed closely the tiny little snowflake and its hidden patterns sparkling at him. Then, so carefully, he leaned in and kissed it.

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><p><strong>Just a cute little oneshot I thought of recently. =) I know I know, it's still summer, but I was honestly done with summer a LONG time ago. I'm ready for the colder seasons! So, movies and pictures of romances in snow inspired this. Enjoy! =)<strong>


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